Daybreak
by TweedleBugQueen
Summary: They were destined to be apart, but he loved her so much. She was looking at him, she extended an arm, almost reaching for him, but drew it back. They were so close, and yet, not nearly close enough at all. DM/HG


**A/N: **This oneshot was written for a very dear friend of mine, we are friends on facebook and she is my favorite contact on Y!A (Yahoo Answers)  
I wrote this for her because she inspired me the other day. It seems the better mood I am in, the better work I am able to write, hopefully by reading this, you will realize _just _how much of a 'good mood' I was in exactly. Another thing: The reason why I chose these two characters. Draco is her favorite character, and Hermione is mine. I have always wanted to try a good Dramione fic, but mine always end up becoming cheezy and ridiculous sounding, as is the flaw of so many of us beginning writers. (Cliche's may wriggle their way into your work, no matter how hard you try to avoid them.)  
So please R&R (Read and Review) I love your feedback!

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**Daybreak**

_"War brings out the worst in people, but it can also bring out the best."_

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There was fire.

There was darkness.

There was light.

There was evil.

Yet there was good.

He stood there, in the war-struck hall. Hogwarts was not what it had once been. A year ago, no one ever could have guessed that this would be what the school would become. Filled with war, with evil beings, with innocent people, being murdered by those who were power-thirsty.

This wasn't what he had wanted, he had never wanted this place to be filled with horror and blood. It was all _his_ fault. Potter, and his stupid friends.

If they hadn't come here tonight, if they hadn't been so stupid as to walk out into the open after all their months of hiding, Lord Voldemort wouldn't be attacking the school. He could be safe and sound in his dormitory. He would be safe, or as safe as he could be.

Looking around the hall, he saw many faces he knew. Students, Death Eaters, even members of The Order of The Phoenix. All fighting for different reasons.

Maybe, just maybe; light would win over darkness afterall.

He ran from the hall, trying very hard to never look back.

This was the time: Fight or flight is what Dumbledore had always said.

He had made his choice, he would take flight.

He was a coward, he ran away from the face of war, and Potter ran straight into it, trying to save this precious world.

The world was over anyway, and only a fool would think otherwise.

He was the better man, he knew when to quit, to leave.

Potter never would learn, he would die just as his parents had. His arrogant father, Snape had said over and over again.

And his mudblood mother.

She had died to save her son, what would she say now, knowing that her son had run straight into the face of death?

Apparently, her efforts were for naught.

As he rounded the corner of the hall, a disastrous scene played itself before him.

Weasley and Granger, they were surrounded by Death Eaters.

Of course they could not win. Once this pair were gone, Potter had no hope of winning.

Darkness had won already, and it wasn't even daybreak yet.

The Death Eaters were closing in, they counted him as one of their brothers.

He didn't want to join them.

Hadn't this been what he wanted all along? For bloodtraitors and mudbloods to die?

Now, two of them would perish before his eyes. And he could hardly stand it.

He didn't want this, for darkness to win over light.

He wanted quite the opposite.

All the times Voldemort had taken advantage of his family. Voldemort had asked too much of his father, had asked him to murder Dumbledore, had invaded their home, had broken his mother's heart. . . .

No, he did _not_ want dark to win.

By some miracle, or trick of the light, Weasley was able to escape. He pulled Granger by the hand, trying to take her with him.

She was too busy telling him to stop, she wanted to finish off the Death Eaters.

He didn't see what happened next, only what the aftermath was.

Suddenly, the hall was aflame. Death Eaters were running past him, glaring at him, silently telling him to follow them to find Potter.

Weasley was yelling, he was screaming for her.

No one had ever screamed for him that way.

The floor collapsed underneath the bloodtraitor. The next moment, Weasley was falling, and soon he was gone.

She would die.

He could hear her screams, she was burning.

Burning alive.

In that moment, he realized how much he had loved her all of these years. She was beautiful with her bushy hair and large teeth. Her fire captivated him: He insulted her to feel it, he wished he could have it.

She was a Gryffindor and a mudblood.

He was a Slytherin and a pureblood.

They were destined to be apart, but he loved her so much he could hardly stand to see her burn.

She was putting the fire out, and he would help her.

He didn't know what made him do it, it must have been on impulse actions alone, but more water than he had ever seen in his life was emerging from his wand.

Soon, the fire was gone. She was looking at him, her chest heaving.

Her hair was singed yet dripping.

Her face was dripping in ash and water.

She extended an arm, almost reaching for him, but drew it back.

He had never seen another woman in comparison to her before that moment. She was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

They were so close, and yet, not nearly close enough at all.

He reached for her, but when he went to say her name, disaster struck again.

The hall exploded, and he was flying backwards, almost in slow motion.

He landed hard on his back against the stone wall, and slid to the floor.

When he finally regained enough strength to look around, he could not see her.

He looked up and down the hall in a desperate attempt to make sure she was okay.

Why couldn't he _see_ her?

"GRANGER!" he bellowed, he ran to where she had been only moments before. A sickening red was all around him.

Her blood covered the hall.

"GRANGER!"

Flight was not an option anymore, he would win this war. He would win it for her, he would die for her if he had to.

Adrenaline washed through him, and he ran towards the Great Hall.

Potter and Voldemort were facing each other, the Final Battle had begun.

Draco didn't pay any attention to them, he tried to kill as many Death Eaters as he could between here and there.

He heard a screaming, and then cheering.

Who had conquered?

A body covered in long, black robes lay on the ground, and Death Eaters were fleeing before him.

Light had won.

She had not died in vain.

The celebration had begun for those who supported the light.

He slumped against a wall, he didn't even care if he was arrested for the mark branded on his left arm, didn't care if he was hauled off to Azkaban for the remainder of his years.

As long as she had not died in vain.

He remembered every harsh word he had ever spoken to her, it cut him like a knife. If only he could take it back.

"If only . . ."

He sobbed, she was gone. The world was in rejoice.

But the darkness was overwhelming him.

"If only I had apologized. . . ." he sobbed again.

If only he had repaid her in a better way than this. Sobbing, slumped against a wall.

A hand touched his shoulder with all the gentleness he did not deserve.

"Why are you crying?" a voice rang in his ear.

He must have died and gone to heaven, if he was hearing an angel address him.

"HERMIONE!" someone bellowed.

He looked up, he saw the love of his life.

Granger, Hermione, was alive.

She was standing within two feet of him, and he loved her with everything he had.

Then, Weasley came barreling out of nowhere.

"Hermione!" he bellowed again, the only peach of his face you could see was of tear stains standing out from the soot.

"I thought I had lost you!" he sobbed, he gathered her in his arms.

He was kissing her, Weasley was kissing the love of his life right before his very eyes.

He jumped up from the floor.

"Weasley!" he yelled.

The pair broke apart. Weasley dropped Hermione on her feet.

"What do _you_ want?" he spat.

He just stood there, he wasn't even looking at Weasley anymore.

She was looking at him, she seemed sad.

"Hermione - " he reached out to her.

He felt a slap against his face.

"You will never insult her again."

"Ron. . . ." she said.

Weasley looked at her.

He stared at her.

She was looking back at him.

"I heard you, in the hallway." she whispered.

His heart swelled.

"I love you."

She smiled, she actually _smiled_ at him.

"Draco. . . ." she trailed off.

She had said his name, she had not spat his surname at him like it were a disease on her tongue. She had not glared at him, she had smiled.

Daybreak shone through the windows of Hogwarts, and it lit her face in the most beautiful way imagineable.

He took her hand.

"Will you stay for me?"

Weasley looked furious, he looked from Hermione to Draco and back again.

Hermione didn't even glance his way.

"Forever." she whispered.

And he gently pressed his lips to hers, hoping she would in fact, stay with him forever.

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**A/N:** So, once again, I am asking you readers out there to review. It doesn't take much time, you just move your mouse to hover over that little green button down there and 'click' then all you have to do is type in some criticism, and BADA-BING BADA-BOOM, you've made my day!  
So yeah, thanks for reading.

- Tweedlebugqueen :)


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